The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

a
One of the classical meanings of zanna is ‘to know’ rather than the predominant
modern sense of ‘to think’. This term is used in the sense of knowledge several times in
the Qur
an.
The Qur
an
2: 42
8

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shall forgive you your sins and increase the rewards of those who do
good.’
59But the wrongdoers substituted a different word from the
one they had been given. So, because they persistently disobeyed,
We sent a plague down from the heavens upon the wrongdoers.
60Remember when Moses prayed for water for his people and We
said to him, ‘Strike the rock with your sta
ff.’ Twelve springs gushed
out, and each group knew its drinking place. ‘Eat and drink the
sustenance God has provided and do not cause corruption in the
land.’
61Remember when you said, ‘Moses, we cannot bear to eat only
one kind of food, so pray to your Lord to bring out for us some of the
earth’s produce, its herbs and cucumbers, its garlic, lentils, and
onions.’ He said, ‘Would you exchange better for worse? Go to
Egypt and there you will 
find what you have asked for.’ They were
struck with humiliation and wretchedness, and they incurred the
wrath of God because they persistently rejected His messages and
killed prophets contrary to all that is right. All this was because they
disobeyed and were lawbreakers.
62The [Muslim] believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the
Sabians
a
–
– all those who believe in God and the Last Day and do
good –
– will have their rewards with their Lord. No fear for them, nor
will they grieve. 
63Remember when We took your pledge, and made
the mountain tower high above you, and said, ‘Hold fast to what We
have given you and bear its contents in mind, so that you may be
conscious of God.’
64Even after that you turned away. Had it not
been for God’s favour and mercy on you, you would certainly have
been lost. 
65You know about those of you who broke the Sabbath,
and so We said to them, ‘Be like apes!
b
Be outcasts!’
23We made this
an example to those people who were there at the time and to those
who came after them, and a lesson to all who are mindful of God.
67Remember when Moses said to his people, ‘God commands you
to sacri
fice a cow.’ They said, ‘Are you making fun of us?’ He
answered, ‘God forbid that I should be so ignorant.’
68They said,
‘Call on your Lord for us, to show us what sort of cow it should be.’
He answered, ‘God says it should be neither too old nor too young,
a
The Sabians were a monotheistic religious community. See M. Asad, The Message
of the Qur
an (Gibraltar: Dar al-Andalus, 1997), 40 n. 49.
b
This is understood by some as ‘physically turn into apes’ but in fact it is a 
figure of
speech –
– the structure ‘be apes’ is like ‘be stones/iron’ in 
17: 50. Just as the Quran
describes the disbelievers as blind, deaf, and dumb, here the transgressors are apes.
The Cow
9
2: 68

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but in between, so do as you are commanded.’
69They said, ‘Call on
your Lord for us, to show us what colour it should be.’ He answered,
‘God says it should be a bright yellow cow, pleasing to the eye.’
70They said, ‘Call on your Lord for us, to show us [exactly] what it
is: all cows are more or less alike to us. With God’s will, we shall be
guided.’
71He replied, ‘It is a perfect and unblemished cow, not
trained to till the earth or water the 
fields.’ They said, ‘Now you have
brought the truth,’ and so they slaughtered it, though they almost
failed to do so. 
72Then, when you [Israelites] killed someone and
started to blame one another –
– although God was to bring what you
had concealed to light –
–
73We said, ‘Strike the [body] with a part of
[the cow]’: thus God brings the dead to life and shows His signs so
that you may understand. 
74Even after that, your hearts became as
hard as rocks, or even harder, for there are rocks from which streams
spring out, and some from which water comes when they split
open, and others which fall down in awe of God: He is not unaware
of what you do.
75So can you [believers] hope that such people will believe you,
when some of them used to hear the words of God and then delib-
erately twist them, even when they understood them? 
76When they
meet the believers, they say, ‘We too believe.’ But when they are
alone with each other they say, ‘How could you tell them about
God’s revelation [to us]? They will be able to use it to argue against
you before your Lord! Have you no sense?’
77Do they not know that
God is well aware of what they conceal and what they reveal? 
78Some
of them are uneducated, and know the Scripture only through wish-
ful thinking. They rely on guesswork. 
79So woe to those who write
something down with their own hands and then claim, ‘This is from
God,’ in order to make some small gain. Woe to them for what their
hands have written! Woe to them for all that they have earned!
80They say, ‘The Fire will only touch us for a few days.’ Say to them,
‘Have you received a promise from God –
– for God never breaks His
promise –
– or are you saying things about Him of which you have no
real knowledge?’
81Truly those who do evil and are surrounded by
their sins will be the inhabitants of the Fire, there to remain, 
82while
those who believe and do good deeds will be the inhabitants of the
Garden, there to remain.
83Remember when We took a pledge from the Children of Israel:
‘Worship none but God; be good to your parents and kinsfolk, to